ABSTRACT
Fifteen years ago, US environmentalist Lester Brown stirred up controversy with his book Who Will Feed China?, which made dire predictions about increasing Chinese demographic pressures threatening the global food supply. In recent years, however, the attention of the international community has shifted to “what is China feeding us?” and has become concerned about the continual food safety problems plaguing China, now an important exporter in an increasingly globalized food supply system. Although all governments have a responsibility to ensure the public health of their population as well as the security of the state, for China, food security has entailed a focus on security of supply due to concern for state stability. This chapter uses concepts of biopower, biosecurity and human security to highlight the conflicting interests at stake in Chinese food security priorities. After explaining how food security encompasses food safety, the chapter then examines food security in China as a human security issue and the consequences of food security issues in China for other countries, particularly the United States and Japan. Finally, the chapter explores the vulnerability of the global food supply and identifies specific implications for the United States and Japan.
